Liqaye

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  1. cowke if only all somalis were as patriotic as you! I beleive you already but, One weeks warning will be more than enough, when he calls you next pay special attention. He must really respect and trust you for giving you this information.
  2. Middle East and Africa The worst country on Earth Nov 13th 2009 From The World in 2010 print edition By Leo Abruzzese Piracy, poverty and perdition: Somalia takes our unwanted prize Fed up with awards for the best? The World in 2010 asked the analysts at the Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister company of The Economist, to identify the world’s worst country in the year ahead. Previous winners of this dubious honour have included (pre-2001) Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. This time, the champion is in Africa. Plagued by civil war, grinding poverty and rampant piracy, Somalia will be the world’s worst in 2010. Calling Somalia a country is a stretch. It has a president, prime minister and parliament, but with little influence outside a few strongholds in the capital, Mogadishu. What passes for a government is protected by an African Union peacekeeping force guarding the presidential palace. Most of the country is controlled by two armed, radical Islamist factions, al-Shabab (the Youth) and Hizbul Islam (Party of Islam), which regularly battle forces loyal to the government. Both demand the imposition of strict Islamic law, in what would amount to the Talibanisation of Somalia. Al-Shabab took responsibility for suicide-bombings in Mogadishu in September that killed 17 peacekeepers; America considers the group an al-Qaeda ally. Click here... Poor countries are often defined by their weak health, education and income measures, but conditions in Somalia are mostly too wretched to record. What little data can be gleaned are truly awful: according to the UN’s World Food Programme, more than 40% of the population need food aid to survive, and one in every five children is acutely malnourished. The constant fighting has internally displaced more than 1.5m people, with a third living in dire, makeshift camps. Aid workers have been able to supply them with less than half the daily water needed. Somalia would be little noticed were it not for its fastest-growing industry: piracy. Somalia drapes over the tip of east Africa and into the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. More than 20,000 merchant vessels pass through the Gulf each year, an inviting target for Somali pirates, who have developed a lucrative business seizing and holding ships for ransom. The International Maritime Bureau counted around 40 successful hijackings in 2008 and another 31 in the first half of 2009. Warships from the European Union, the United States and other powers now patrol the waters, but pirates have shifted their attacks farther offshore. Somalia’s future is bleak. What little income it can muster comes from its diaspora, but remittances have slowed with the global slump. International agencies have promised more aid, but lack of security stands in the way. Peacekeepers are too few in number to make a difference. Most disturbing, many young Somalis are becoming increasingly radicalised, leaving little hope that the political situation will stabilise. The world’s most failed state, regrettably, threatens to become a bigger problem for the rest of the world. Leo Abruzzese: editorial director, North America, Economist Intelligence Unit
  3. Yesterday, I highlighted the recommendations of Somali experts – notably Bronwyn E. Bruton and Ken Menkhaus – for how the United States should contribute to counter-terrorism, conflict resolution, humanitarian relief, economic development and state-building in Somalia. Their pragmatic and cautious approaches argue against knee-jerk American responses to the real or perceived threats posed by al-Qaeda, the al-Shabab, and piracy. Last spring at SAIS, I put together an extensive backgrounder on Somalia. The paper traces the history of state formation in Somalia from the colonial period to the collapse of the state and its current crises. At the end, I provide a brief analysis of the current challenges to peace-making and state-building placed in their historical context – something missing from much of the current writings on Somalia. I must confess that much of my understanding of Somalia has been influenced by Menkhaus, my former advisor. In reading Bruton great piece in Foreign Affairs, I also found that her recommendations closely match the findings that I developed. So if you are interested, enjoy… Introduction The five points on the star of the light-blue Somali flag proclaim a nation’s dream deferred. The predominantly nomadic Somalis met the era of nationalism and independence with high hopes. They and observers of the time saw a “well-defined geographic and ethnic unit…as a natural base for a sovereign state.” Ethiopia and the colonial powers, however, had different visions for the boundaries of a Somali state. Three points of the star – Djibouti, the ****** (in Ethiopia), and the Northern Frontier District in Kenya – were stripped from the Somalis before the official birth of the Somali nation. The subsequent experiments with democracy and ‘scientific socialism’ attempted to develop a modern state and in some ways rebuild a forcibly contracted national consciousness. These processes ultimately failed and led to the collapse of the state in 1991. What emerged in replace of the state were still uncongealed fragments of a dismembered nation. For external and internal reasons, Somali leaders until this day have not found a means to unite these disparate and usually warring pieces. Final Analysis Emerging from a dismembering birth at independence, Somali elites have constantly attempted to breed irredentist nationalism to legitimize their control of the state. The early politics of democracy challenged each government to push a hard line on securing the stripped Somali lands of French Somaliland, the Ethiopian ******, and the Northern Frontier in Kenya; former dictator Siad Barre could not concede the right of self-determination for the ****** Somalis in the late 1970s; and most recently the Islamic Court Union (ICU) could not muzzle threats against Ethiopia long enough to consolidate and defend their military and political successes in 2006. Why do the elites retreat to this expansionist Somali nationalism each time in the face of clearly stronger neighbors? The answer may be that little else has thus far shown a capacity to forge a national consciousness across the real economic and social cleavages of Somali society. In addition to clan divisions, the rural/urban divide has shaped Somali politics for centuries as seen in the ebb and flow of power between the coastland to the hinterland. In the beginning of his regime, Barre recognized the importance of improving the agricultural sector, but the implementation of ‘scientific socialism,’ a product mostly of cold war convenience, could not begin to address the growing gaps between urban and rural populations. Then in the 1980s, the regime used state resources to inflame cleavages between various Somali communities. As such, there were no defenders of the state when it collapsed and, likewise, no foreign agents to blame as a means of rallying Somali nationalism to revive the state. Islam presents a more indigenously suited alternative, as it can be easily conflated with Somali nationalism and has shown the ability to bridge both rural/urban and clan divisions. The slow rise of Islamic activism and the ascendancy of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) demonstrate its cross-cutting mobilizing utility in Somali politics. Nevertheless, the ICU eventually encountered the common problem of clan division, with certain groups effectively characterizing it as ******-dominated. The success of Islamic activism in Mogadishu, however, pales in comparison to the regional solutions that have endured in Somaliland and to a lesser extent in Puntland. What the success of the ICU and Somaliland have in common, however, is that they are at their base Somali-derived solutions that depart in some key way from current Western models of governance. Yet, these accomplishments have been virtually unacceptable from the point of view of regional and international powers. Ethiopia views both an Islamist-oriented government in Somalia and greater autonomy or independence in Somaliland as threats to its national security.International actors also obviously fear the rise of an Islamist government in Somalia and want to avoid the division of Somalia into smaller units for fear of the encouragement that such a development would give minority groups in other countries, especially Africa. Despite these internationally imposed constraints on state-building in Somalia, the international community paradoxically continues to demand a state from the warring parties. If such is still the objective, the process of national reconciliation and state formation must derive from Somali-driven processes. As theorized by as diverse an array of scholars as Ibn Khaldun and Francis Fukuyuma, social cohesiveness (or capital) and trust are key components in the formation of society and the building of a state. By all measures, these bonds have broken down in Somalia today. As such, Somalis have relied almost exclusively on their familial connections. This outcome is a result of a state that intentionally destroyed cross-cutting societal linkages in the 1980s – a process that began during the period of colonial partition. International intervention has only inflamed differences more and done nothing to rebuild trust among Somali political actors. Still both Ken Menkhaus and Peter Little have written about the “malleability of interests” even within the clan system in Somali society. They point to the way that the clan system has adapted to “the changing demands of the international community as well as to the challenges of statelessness and pastoralism.” Little provocatively asks, “Is it surprising then that Somali clans began to fracture and/or consolidate along sub-clan and lineage lines when external agencies worked within a clan idiom themselves?” In order then to identify the true interests of each constituency and search for a workable compromise, it is necessary to remove the foreign influences as much as possible. The involvement of the United States, Ethiopia, Egypt, Eritrea, and even the United Nations are inherently distorting to Somali politics. As such, Menkhaus encourages the new Obama administration to seek “[p]olicies which privilege Somali-driven processes, rely mainly on Somali interests and actors to drive outcomes, and respect Somali preferences.” Were Somalis able to take control of the process in this way, perhaps finally as Samatar advised in 1988 “moral and intellectual commitments from leading classes” could emerge to take charge of the state and the economy. Western countries though must realize that in the current Somali political climate some solutions – such as regionalism or elements of Islamist governance – may emerge. It must accept, therefore, these outcomes and then support the new-born Somali state in making the central government and its governing mechanisms mean more to the Somali people than a threatening source of predation. development, engagement, peace-making, Somalia, state-builing Address: http://www.seanbrooks.net/2009/12/somalias-dismemberment-and-possible-patchwork-rebuilding/
  4. Who is the person you speak about, or would stating his name make him appear out of thin air? Beetle juice Beetle juice Beetle juice
  5. A total waste of time ,,,,, indeed. Stuff and Nonsense ,,,,, Hey JB you should pay Odweyne and Ngonge for those trademarked statements. Sidha kaleena ku dayo red sea ku dayo!!!
  6. Brother Cowke, It is hard lumping you in with other puntlanders But I sometimes donot understand what facts you refer to, your doctored statistics or your historical analysis, finally the conclusions you reach, are so oddly deduced that only you perhaps are not being clear for the rest of us to understand. Firstly are you saying that the formation of the SSDF in 1978 was a direct result of the usurpation of power in 1969? Do you then say that the overwhelming majiroity of the SSDF was made up of more than one Clan? Do you then Say that taking up arms was acceptable only by that clan for the restoration of a 10 year old status quo, even though the man who was to be retured to villa somalia was long dead by then? Do you contend that only the actions of the USC and SNM are to be blamed for the degeneration of the Siyad Barre regime to a genocidal one? As for your statistics saxiib even if taken for face value would still show that the Somaliland parliament is representative of a greater cross section of the somali clan system than puntlands, which is the division of spoils among first cousins no less, when in Somaliland 3 clan groups are represented with approximately the same number of seats as their population size warrants.
  7. Another hero of 1943 dies with out having seen a peacefull somalia. Allah u naxaristo
  8. By: Dr. Michael A. Weinstein A closed source in the Horn of Africa reports on al-Shabaab's strategy at the current juncture of the conflicts in southern and central Somalia. According to the source, Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen (H.S.M.) is preparing to launch an offensive in the central regions to gain the kind of dominance over them that it has achieved in the Jubba regions in the south over the past month by displacing its former ally Hizbul Islam (H.I.). The source reports that local observers and politicians had expected H.S.M. to carry its fight against H.I. to Mogadishu next. The move to an encirclement strategy, according to the source, would repeat what H.S.M. did in the Jubba Valley by "creating safe areas on its flanks." H.S.M. would then turn to Mogadishu. Regarding the prospects for the success of H.S.M.'s strategy, the source notes that the group will face strong opponents in the central regions [presumably Ahlu Sunna wal-Jama'a in Galgadud and H.I. in Hiraan] and that Ethiopia will likely intervene; but the source adds that, at the very least, H.S.M. is likely to be able "to capture Hizbul Islam territories up to Beledweyne. Significance The source's intelligence will be analyzed in terms of how it enlightens H.S.M.'s overall strategy. If the intelligence is accurate, then it reflects a set of judgments and decisions by H.S.M. on how it can most effectively gain political dominance in southern and central Somalia. The strategy of encircling Mogadishu, rather than going for an immediate confrontation with H.I. there, indicates patience and prudence on H.S.M.'s part, which in turn indicates that H.S.M. is confident that it need not bring along the baggage of rivalrous allies as it prepares for a stepped-up campaign against the African Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM) and forces of the Transitional Federal Government (T.F.G.) in Mogadishu. Phase One of H.S.M.'s overall campaign is to consolidate armed opposition to AMISOM and the T.F.G. under its command. If it is successful, H.S.M. will have placed itself as the only alternative to the T.F.G. in the southern and central regions. The intelligence casts doubt on frequent current claims by analysts and officials supporting the T.F.G. that H.S.M. has lost popular legitimacy and is weakening, and that its fight with H.I. indicates a collapse of the armed opposition and, therefore, presents an opportunity for the T.F.G. to expand its power in the regions, where it has no present control. Conflict within an alliance can cut two ways. It can reflect disunity and disaggregation in some cases, yet in others it indicates the achievement of dominance by one faction over the others, leading to consolidation and, consequently, to a stronger opposition than existed prior to internecine strife. As for loss of popular legitimacy, one must ask, as many Somali intellectuals do: Why, if H.S.M. is so unpopular and is weakening, are there not insurrections in the territories that it controls? Southern and central Somalia is a country awash in arms. Sub-clans have not disappeared. H.S.M. appears to be able to hold and administer territory, and could not do so without some support and acquiescence among local populations. Whether or not H.S.M. will be able to carry through successfully its encirclement strategy remains unclear, with uncertainty residing in the source's observation that H.S.M. faces "worthy opponents," yet itself is formidable. What is apparent is that H.S.M. does not perceive itself as weakening, but, rather, as strengthening to the point at which it is willing to bid for monopoly over armed opposition. Is theirs a sober judgment? H.S.M. has overreached before and has over-valued its power; yet it has also had periods of success, starting in late 2007 when it adopted its first strategy of encirclement that led to its current control over much of southern and central Somalia. The encirclement strategy is more in line with its sober than its intoxicated side. H.S.M. is taking a risk, but it appears to be a well-calculated risk. The strategy does not appear to be a product of desperation or a last-stand mentality, any more than it appears to be the work of irrational exuberance. The source's intelligence should be taken seriously, because, if it is accurate, it indicates that H.S.M. is thinking strategically and is neither over-valuing nor under-valuing its power. As the source puts it, "This is the most logical maneuver before dealing with Hizbul Islam in Mogadishu." Report Drafted By: Dr. Michael A. Weinstein, Professor of Political Science, Purdue University weinstem@purdue.edu
  9. by Ali Osman I cannot help the utter disgust I feel when I see news media repeating the brazen lies of Al-Shabab that they did not carry out the suicide bombing at Hotel Shaamow which took the lives of students, teachers and government ministers. Before we believe Al-Shabab propaganda, we should first understand how this group operates. This group is highly decentralized and is designed so to make sure their clandestine operations does not bleed over one another and give away a sleeper cell. It is the chief reason why Al-Shabab created the different autonomies brigades that are working inside Somalia such as Mus’ab Ibnu Umeyr Brigade, Sa’ad Bin Abu Waqaas Brigade, Mus’ab Ibnu Umeyr Brigade, Aden Ayrow Brigade, Ahmed Gurey Brigade and al-Hisbah Forces. I am really sorry they have abused the names of our beloved Sahaaba and great Somali patriots like Ahmed Gurey. These Sahaaba and Ahmed Gurey off course have nothing to do with Al-Shabab death squads designed to kill and maim innocent Muslims. It is very possible that the leadership of the Al-Shabab units in south central Somalia which includes Mogadishu may not have been aware or told a mission that another brigade have planned and carried out. If Mogadishu Al-Shabab brigades were not told and kept in the dark which brigade or region carried out the assassination and bombing, it is too bad they were not told, but that does not mean Al-Shabab did not carried out the operation. The Al-Shabab leaders of Mogadishu know very well the modus operandi of Al-Shabab, and should not be surprised if this act was beyond their knowledge or too big to chew. As long as the top echelon like Axmed Cabdi Aw Maxamuud Godane a.k.a. Sheikh Maxamed Mukhtaar Cabdiraxmaan “Abu Zubeyr” knew the operation, it stands as Al-Shabab operation. They can tell the world all the lies they want but make no mistake this lie will not be sold to the Somali people. They can certainly dupe the world media and people around the world who could not comprehend their brutality. We Somalis have seen enough of Al-Shabab. The blood of our teachers, professors, intellectual and the ministers are on their hands. In Al-Shabab worldview, the ends justify the means. They want to eliminate the government, and ministers are part and parcel of this government. We understand they wanted to kill the ministers but what about the people around them, the students, professors, journalists and bystanders? Recall June 18, 2008 similar bombing in Medina Hotel in Beledweyne? They killed the Somalia’s security minister Omar Hashi Aden and the Somalia’s former ambassador to Ethiopia but who else died there? 28 Muslim bystanders were killed. Did Al-Shabab deny that one? No, in fact Ali Mohamud Rage the spokes man for Al-Shabab said “We killed the national security minister and the former ambassador to Ethiopia” They admitted that they carried out and congratulated each other. But hold on, what about those 28 Muslim lives that have been taken down with the two targets? Remember we are talking 28 innocent lives and many that are injured! Well the ends justify the means. Al-Shabab believes collateral damage is part of this messy business called assassinations. If students, professors, journalists and bystanders are killed, according to Al-Shabab they have been standing with the wrong crowd, sorry! If you were not standing with the wrong crowd but innocent bystander they believe Allah will bring you a Shaheed like the guy who carried out the suicide mission. This is their twisted and simple logic. There is a little problem with their logic. Isn’t there a question session with Allah before you go to paradise? Do you not know LAA ILALAAHA ILALAAH will come that day and will ask its right? Remember the Hadith in Sahih Muslim: “Jundub ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Bajali reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent a group of Muslims to fight some mushrikeen, and they met in battle. One of the mushrikeen was ambushing individual Muslims and killing them. One of the Muslims wanted to catch him out and kill him. [Jundub said:] “We used to think that that man was Usaamah ibn Zayd. When he raised his sword, the mushrik said ‘La ilaaha ill-Allah,’ but he [usaamah] killed him. A messenger came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and reported to him about what had happened in the battle. When he told him about what had happened to the mushrik who said Laa ilaaha ill-Allah, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent for Usaamah and asked him, ‘‘Why did you kill him?’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, he had caused much grief to the Muslims, he killed So-and-so and So-and-so,’ – and he named a number of people – ‘I attacked him and when he saw the sword he said Laa ilaaha ill-Allah.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘And then you killed him?’ Usaamah said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘What will you do when Laa illaha ill-Allah comes on the Day of Resurrection?’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, pray for forgiveness for me.’” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) simply said, “What will you do when Laa ilaaha ill-Allah comes on the Day of Resurrection?” He did not say any more than that. (Reported by Muslim, ‘Abd al-Baaqi edn., no. 97).” What will Al-Shabab suicide bombers and leaders do when LAA ILALAAHA ILALAAH shows up the Day of Resurrection? The prophet peace and blessing be upon him did not excuse for the difficult situation the Sahaabi found himself in or the fact he was in a battle or the man killed a number of his companions. So on what grounds did Ali Mohamud Rage authorize the killing of 28 innocent Muslims and Omar Hashi Aden the Somali minister of security? The same reasons and the logic he used for the people in Hotel Medina is what he used to kill and maim the people in Hotel Shaamow. You cannot press hard or ask questions or you will be accused of being spy or worse a heretic. slamic Scholars who studied universities in Mecca and Medina such as Umul Qura University and Medina University are leaving Somalia because they are being hunted by Al-Shabab as the government ministers are, why? Because they can challenge their ideology and demolish their false creed and wrong interpretations of Quran and Hadith. You cannot understand Al-Shabab through the prism of the normal people, they are a unique sect and death cult that does not prescribe to humanity. Every terrorist action they carry will be worse than the last one as they become more entrenched and project their power. Another possible question that people may be asking is if Al-Shabab did this action are they not marginalizing themselves? Not really, they are counting on the weakness of the TFG government. It is the same reason they throw grenades at UN compounds. They know the UNISOM soldiers will launch random missiles and kill innocent lives. They reason if the UNISOM carelessly as they always do will hit Bakaaraha Market. By killing innocent Somalis civilians creates resentment and hate for the UNISOM and not for Al-Shabab. Al-Shabab gets new recruits from the misery which they were part of and they are not blamed for. Hotel Shamow created angry people for Al-Shabab but equally created people angry with the government’s weakness. If it cannot defend their own members what makes you think they can defend you? Is the message sent to the population? The second objective was to eliminate heavy weight intellectuals within the government. The more they take out the best ministers of the Sharmarke government, the more the government look illegitimate and weak and it works for Al-Shabab’s favor. By assassinating most of the Islamists ministers within the government the government looks like vulnerable and questionable. While Roobow and Godane are sleeping different house each night fearful of sudden death, they are sending teenagers to commit suicide by promising a permanent place in heaven. If these individuals really believe there is paradise ahead by committing suicide, why they don’t commit such a mission themselves? Think about it, everyone is working hard to go to paradise right? Why they are not the first to go and why is it always a teenager or someone under 20 years old? They either know there is no paradise ahead by killing innocent Muslims or they are hypocrites who are using the young unsuspecting to achieve a political gain. Imagine if every Al-Shabab behaved like them, wears Burqa, hides and run at the slightest danger, hires body guards! For sure there will be no suicide missions, there will be no missiles being thrown to government offices and certainly we would have peace in Somalia by now. Unfortunately, there are plenty of misfits who are also ignorant about Islam. These youth are confused, angry about what is happening and they have been manipulated. They are unstable, naïve, and are utterly disgusted with their daily life. They are looking ways to escape a miserable life and it does not matter whether they join piracy group or Al-Shabab. And these cult leaders very well know their art of deception and manipulation. They perfected ways to inject extreme ideas into empty heads and translate into action. They know who is vulnerable to their propaganda and deception and through careful selection, and mind control peppered with out of context Jihad verses and images of Muslim sufferings around the world produce a nut-cases ready to kill themselves for heavenly causes. These folks become a tool that can be shaped to a lethal human missile. This human missile guided by cult laser is what smashed and killed so many innocent students, professors and ministers at Hotel Shaamow. Al-Shabab has no grounds to deny, the fact remain that they are behind this atrocity and they are not done yet. Al-Shabab declared war on authentic Islamic teachings, civilization, reason and humanity as a whole. It is up to the Somali people to decide if they are going to continue in harboring, supporting and hiding these ruthless killers. Ali Osman e-mail: ccusmaan@gmail.com
  10. MOMBASA, Kenya – Offering amnesty to powerful individuals accused of fomenting violence in Somalia could help rid lawlessness from the Horn of Africa country, where the latest of a series of attempts to pass a new constitution faces dim prospects, a UN constitutional expert said on Wednesday. World-renown Kenyan Professor Yash Pal Ghai, who has shepherded constitution-making assignments in Nepal, East Timor, Iraq, Kenya and Afghanistan, said such an offer would secure backing from the same people whose opposition doomed previous drafts. Amnesty sometimes includes transitional justice in circumstances where warlords and clan chiefs block peace efforts, he added. Human rights groups have dismissed such deal-making as problematic, an unacceptable justification and a subjective stratagem that would foment impunity. “The international community does not favour this, but you have to make sacrifices,” Ghai told Somali civil society activists meeting in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, where they are discussing their role in fostering peace at home. “Sometimes you have to say that peace is more important and then give them amnesty and just move forward.” Ghai, a former University of Hong Kong professor and UN advisor on constitutional matters, said tidy constitutional formulas and edicts would not hold in a country where loyalties and power bases have shifted numerous times. “The environment that is prevailing in Somalia is not conducive for the process of constitution making. Some legal scholars say that one should not make a constitution until full peace is achieved. But you do not have a choice, but move ahead, “ he added. Although the soft-spoken Ghai has never directly participated in previous Somali peace talks, his experience on conflicts and constitutional matters is highly regarded across the world. Several ‘powerful’ Somali warlords and clan leaders, locked in bloody power struggles since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, have scuppered efforts to endorse constitutions, fearing they might lose clout and open the way for prosecutions. Failure to enact the draft constitution will further weaken the government in the face of hard-charging Islamist Shabab militants, controlling swathes of southern Somalia including much of the capital Mogadishu, the crown jewel of the bloody contest for supremacy in Somalia. United Nations and human rights officials have pressed for a probe into war crimes in Somalia, warning that impunity must be punished if the country is to achieve peace. Factional fighting and war-induced famine have claimed at tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions others. Although the Somali conflict has spawned one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, the International Criminal Court has barely shown intentions to probe violations, fearing such offers might jeopardise the fragile UN-backed efforts to bring warring sides to negotiations. Numerous agreements have previously failed to achieve that goal, further plunging the country of a graveyard spiral of violence that has shaken the region and intensified concerns that extremists linked to Al Qaeda have filtered into Somalia. A deal reached in Djibouti last year extended the mandate of the Transitional Federal Institutions – created in 2004 – until August 2011 when, it is assumed that, parliament would have enacted a new basic law. The Horn of Africa nation, home to about eight million people, is currently run by a transitional federal charter that was drawn in Kenya seven years ago. Late November, the Somali cabinet endorsed a new legal framework expected to be presented to the federal parliament in the coming days for debate. Officials said the government is currently lobbying to garner majority vote, but has suffered a setback when a suicide bomber killed at least 20 people, including three cabinet ministers, on December 3. UN officials urged Somalis to support the new law, saying it would be part of a peace settlement that would end one of Africa’s most intricate conflicts. “People must engage in this (constitution-making) process. They must identify with it, if this can be achieved, then the constitution becomes an integral part of a peace agreement,” Paul Simkim, a governance expert in the UN Development Programme, told the conference that was attended by experts who are drafting the Somali constitution.
  11. Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya oo qadka taleefoonka uga qeybgalay Shirweynaha Bulshada Rayidka Soomaaliyeed ee ka socda Magaalada Mombasa ee Dalka Kenya Khamiis, December 10, 2009(HOL): Madaxweynaha Dowladda Soomaaliya Shiikh Shariif Shiikh Axmed ayaa qadka taleefoonka uga qeybgalay shirweyne ay xubno ka socda bulshada Rayidka Soomaaliyeed oo tiradooda gaareyso 180 xubnood, kuwaasi oo shir uu uga Magaalada Mombasa ee Dalka Kenya. Madaxweynaha ayaa ugu horreyn u mahadceliyay qabanqaabiyayaasha shirka iyo ka qeybgalayaasha, wuxuuna kaddib ka hadlay dhibaatooyinka dalka Soomaaliya ka jira ee isugu jira amni darrada iyo bani’aadannimada. Qaraxii dhawaan ka dhacay Magaalada Muqdisho ee ay dadka badan ku dhinteen ayuu madaxweynaha ka hadlay, wuxuuna sheegay in qaraxaas uu ahaa mid dhibaato weyn geystay, wuxuuna xusay in ay ku dhinteen dad badan oo qiimo weyn ugu fadhiyay bulshada Soomaaliyeed, sidoo kalena wuxuu xusay qarax bartamihii sanadkan ka dhacay Magaalada Beledweyne, kaasi oo ay isna ku dhinteen dad badan oo isugu jira siyaasiyiin, nabaddoonno, ganacsato, saraakiil ciidan iyo dad rayid ah. Ergooyinka shirka ka qeybgelaya ayuu ugu baaqay in ay ka fekeraan dhibaatada mugga leh ee Soomaaliya ka taagan, “Maanta waxaa laga yaabaa in cadawga ku talagay in aysan dowlad jirin oo uu dalka dowlad la’aan ahaado marka in dowlad jirto waa fursad muhiim ah oo dadka iyo dalka Soomaaliyeed muhiim u ah”ayuu yiri Madaxweyne Shiikh Shariif. Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya waxaa uu sheegay in kooxaha ka soo horjeeda Dowladda Soomaaliya ay yihiin kuwo ku shaqeynaya fikrado dibadda ka yimid, “Si aan Kooxahaas uga guuleysanno waxaa waajib nagu ah dhamaanteen in aan ka qeybqaadanno badbaadinta dadka iyo dalka Soomaaliyeed”ayuu hadalkiisa ku sii daray Madaxweynaha. Wuxuu sheegay madaxweynaha in ay dhaliilo lahaan karaan Dowlad ahaan, wuxuuna caddeeyay in aysan ka soo horjeedin in la dhaliilo balse waxaa uu codsaday in ay dhaliishaas noqoto mid wax dhiseysa, “Waxaa caado noo noqotay in aan wax dhaliilno oo aan wax duminno, weli ma baran in aan wax dhaliilno oo aan wax dhisno”ayuu yiri Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya Shiikh Shariif Shiikh Axmed. “Dowladda waxay diyaar u tahay wax walba oo garab istaag ah, wax walba oo toosin ah, dhaliilo ayaa jira waan ogolnahay, laakin sida wax loo saxayo waa in ay noqoto mid sax ah oo wax dhiseysa”ayuu hadalkiisa ku sii daray madaxweynaha Soomaaliya oo sheegay in xaaladda dalka Soomaaliya uu haatan ku sugan yahay ay tahay mid culus wax ka qabasho dhab ah u baahan. “Arrinta waa ka culus tahay sida loo maleynayo, dad shisheeye ah ayaa dalka ku sugan, kuwaasi oo raba in aaney dowlad ka dhalan Soomaaliya, nabadna aysan ka dhalan, waxaa lala dirirsan yahayna waa dowladnimada, astaamihii qarannimada ayaa lala dagaallayaa marka arrintaas waxay tahay mid na hortaalla oo loo baahan yahay in aan wax ka qabanno”ayuu yiri Madaxweyne Shiikh Shariif Shiikh Axmed oo shirka u socda Bulshada Rayidka Soomaaliyeed u rajeeyay in uu noqdo shir gacan ka geysta xal u helidda mushkiladda maanta ka jirta dalka Soomaaliya. Salaad Iidow Xasan (Xiis), Hiiraan Online
  12. "On the issue of Somalia, it is not somaliland that has stalled all attempts at creating governments there. It was Yey who was used many times to sabotage the formation of a credible central government. It is Faroole who is now busy on ego-centered undermining of the weak but inclusive Sharif government." At that my friends is the nub of the matter.
  13. Residents clash with rebels on Mogadishu outskirts 08 Dec 2009 15:28:52 GMT Source: Reuters * Demonstrations rock Elasha * Witnesses say two people wounded By Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Residents of a Mogadishu suburb clashed with Hizbul Islam rebels on Tuesday after the insurgents arrested a headmaster who raised a Somali flag over his school. Witnesses said some residents grabbed weapons and fired at the Hizbul gunmen after a protest against the group turned violent in Elasha, 15 km (9 miles) southwest of the capital. Residents said the insurgents shot back, wounding at least two people. The incident was a rare example of Somali civilians standing up to heavily-armed insurgents who rule much of the country. Hundreds of students and local people had taken to the streets after Hizbul Islam fighters stormed Elasha's Ibnu Kuzeima secondary school, replaced the blue Somali flag with a black Islamist banner and then dragged away the principal. "Residents took out their guns. Fighting is going on and I don't think it will stop," shopkeeper Aden Hussein told Reuters. The demonstrators burned tyres and chanted: "We don't want destructive Hizbul Islam. Down with them. They are destroyers." Hizbul officials later released the headmaster but the situation degenerated as residents began shooting at them. "They have freed our principal but we shall not stop demonstrating," student Halima Farah told Reuters by telephone. On Monday, a group of Mogadishu residents attempted to protest against another rebel group, al Shabaab, which is blamed for a suicide bombing at a medical graduation ceremony last week that killed 22 people, including three government ministers. Security forces told those protesters to go home, and they dispersed without incident. Western security agencies say the failed Horn of Africa state is a safe haven for militants including foreign jihadists who use it to plot attacks across the region and beyond. Somalia has lacked a functioning central government since 1991, and the Western-backed administration of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed controls just a few strategic sites in the capital. Fighting has killed at least 19,000 Somali civilians since the start of 2007 and driven 1.5 million from their homes, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. (Editing by Daniel Wallis and Angus MacSwan)
  14. By Abdi Guled MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Attending the graduation of doctors, engineers and professors in Mogadishu last Thursday, I was relieved to cover a positive Somalia story for a change. War is all we can usually report from here, where fighting has killed at least 19,000 civilians since the start of 2007 and driven another 1.5 million from their homes. Desperate to show the outside world another side to my country, I spent hours at the ceremony at Mogadishu's packed Shamo Hotel eagerly tape recording the speeches. Then I became tired and thirsty and moved towards the door. My colleague from Al Arabiya Television, Hasan al-Zubair, called to me. He asked me to fetch him some water too because he couldn't leave the spot where he was filming. As I walked away a huge explosion erupted behind me. It came from the front of the ceremony, where most of the government officials and dignitaries were sitting. I crouched and looked back. Under a huge cloud of smoke dozens of people lay still on the ground. Others stampeded towards the exit. I looked to my right and saw my colleague -- he was dead but blood still flowed from his body. As the smoke began to clear I could see the officials' chairs empty and bloody. One young man picked up his older brother who had just graduated, weeping over his corpse. The whole scene looked like a slaughterhouse. A young girl who might have been a student ran by me, dragging another to safety. Her friend's purse was draped across her injured leg. I saw the education and health ministers bleeding heavily in the carnage. Both would later die. TROOPS OPEN FIRE Suspicion for the blast immediately fell on al Shabaab rebels, whom Washington accuses of being al Qaeda's proxy here. The group denied it the next day, but no one believed them. At the hotel, the graduates' colourful gowns became bloodied as some plunged back into the wreckage to try to rescue their classmates. One terrified man grabbed my hand hard, pleading for me to carry him to help. I tried but he was too big. Just then, soldiers in the street outside began spraying automatic rifle fire into the air, trying to control the surging crowds but only adding to the mayhem. I feared the people were so frenzied and frightened that they might turn on each other. To one side, a student who had welcomed me to the ceremony stumbled around blind and bleeding. I saw one woman who sat sobbing over her son. I could tell that his wounds were serious. She kept whispering to him, but all he replied with were slow breaths. I turned and ran in fear from the horrific scene. As I did, my phone kept ringing -- word was out about the blast, and colleagues and friends knew I had been covering the ceremony. As I ran through the streets, people stopped and stared. There was so much blood on me they thought I was badly hurt. Then I saw my neighbour, rushing to the hotel where her two sons had been graduating. She would soon learn they were dead. In the attack, at least 22 people lost their lives, including three government ministers, several doctors, students and their relatives. I raced back to the Reuters office and breathlessly told my editors and colleagues what had happened. Since the blast, I have hardly been able to eat. I just see the gruesome visions from that day. And I keep seeing images of young professionals at graduation, ready to serve their country but instead lying dead and dying on the hotel floor. In the attack, at least 22 people lost their lives, including three government ministers, several doctors, students and their relatives. I raced back to the Reuters office and breathlessly told my editors and colleagues what had happened. Since the blast, I have hardly been able to eat. I just see the gruesome visions from that day. And I keep seeing images of young professionals at graduation, ready to serve their country but instead lying dead and dying on the hotel floor. (Editing by Jeremy Clarke)
  15. ^^^ I really wonder maxad ka daawo tahay saxiib, let the man vent, it is certainly the time for it! Your cold blooded analysis/opportunity for wit, will come at another time.
  16. ^^^ Who gives a damn what they were? Who remotely gives a damn? We are not intreasted in being drawn into your web of conspiracy theories, or theological arguments, Al-shabaab killed members of the goverment but lack of planning and prudence led them to also decimate the flower of somali youth as well, all for T.V. That is the only reason why they are backtracking, and nothing else.
  17. My goodness. Condolences to all. The chickens come home to roost.
  18. What is there not to agree with it is a statement. Anyway you shall soon be shaken to the core by the JNM.
  19. Maybe you should it make it an expensive enterprise. It would be a mistake for the ONLF to provide the bread which Faroole slices chunks off, every other time to appease the Ethiopians. Misee gabay uun ba jawaab ah?
  20. ^^^^ Waryaa iska daaf ninka he has a right to dream. Greater Jabertiania is just a day away. Hey jacaylo congratulations on your signature:) you wrote more than one line and did not finish with.....